


30 Day BenKaru Challenge -- Day 20, Space Pirate AU

by tinynerdlet



Series: 30 Day BenKaru Challenge [20]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Space Pirate, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 00:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7992103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinynerdlet/pseuds/tinynerdlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Jung always felt safe inside Yorktown. Pirates never visited with the military stationed there, so there was never any reason to think his life was in danger. He simply lived as a fiction writer and spent his time dreaming about what the stars offered travelers that didn't exist.</p>
<p>One day, Ben's visited by a Lieutenant who's interested in the research of one of his past works, <em>The Forgotten Planet</em>. Although the request is a little strange, Ben doesn't think too much of it until he realizes that his research isn't the only thing on the line. The problem is that he realizes that far too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [See Story On Tumblr](http://spoopynerdlet.tumblr.com/post/149629613178/day-20-of-benkaru-space-pirate-au)

Pirates never visited Yorktown. For a pirate, a visit to Yorktown was like knocking on death’s door and then trying to hide in the bushes. The military presence was too large and pirates, thieves, vandals all stood no chance against their might. They’d fall before they had a chance to return to their ships and flee to the stars. At least that’s what Ben Jung believed after all these years.

He also believed he was safe.

Why wouldn’t he be safe? He was a fiction writer. He spent all of his time researching myths and putting stories onto paper for entertainment. In truth, he made decent money at it too. Nothing to brag about, but enough to live alone in one of the most advanced Earth colonies in the galaxy. His safety was never a concern – it was a given.

That morning, much like any other morning, Ben sipped coffee and stared at the white field of windowed buildings. Pure human construction at it’s finest. The peak of efficiency, grace, beauty. He stared out of this very window every morning for over ten years and the view always enraptured him, even on the days where rain fell and darkened clouds clapped to signal the displeasure of the gods. Or, perhaps, the pleasure, for rain gave them food, kept them fed. Ben never argued one way or the other. He simply enjoyed what the day gave, just as he did that day.

With his coffee drained and his mind open, he moved into his office. He wasn’t close to finishing a project. No, certainly not. But a small dent would get him one step closer to another published work. His agent would wait for him. She always did.

That’s why, when the doorbell rang out, it stilled his body and nearly his heart.

Morning visitors were never a thing. The only one that would dare was his agent, but there were always warnings first. Messages, calls, something. This break in routine was jarring, near unreal.

He didn’t like it.

Still, Ben walked to the front door and flicked on the display screen. The tiny camera facing the outside world from above the door showed a dark-skinned man with a idle, polite smile. He wore a suit - the blue kind military men wore around town - and carried nothing in his hands. The man wasn’t familiar to him. Should he have been? No. He didn’t think so.

Ben opened the door. The man’s smile grew.

“Are you Mr. Ben Jung?” he asked. His voice seemed like it would rattle Ben’s ribs if he ever tried to copy it.

“Yes,” he answered, his own voice suddenly seeming too light.

“I’m sorry to bother you this early. I’m Lieutenant Balthazar Edison.” He extended his right hand. Ben took it. The handshake was strong, almost painful. “I’m here to ask you questions about the research you did for your story _The Forgotten Planet_.”

Ben had pushed _The Forgotten Planet_  out of his mind once it was published over a year ago. Although he was proud of the work, it never struck the cord of popularity. Worse, his fans believed it to be the worst piece he’d ever written. He saved himself with a short story collection three months later, but any mention of _The Forgotten Planet_  still made him wince.

He’d written the novella around the legend of Aldea. Without explanation, Aldea disappeared from the universe. Ben poured months in researching Aldea, it’s placement, theories as to where it’d gone, and possible life forms that could be there today, if the planet existed at all. It hadn’t consumed him like it did others. The research was work, no more, no less. And, in truth, it hadn’t been worth the effort. He wished he could take it back.

“Forgive me for asking, Lieutenant,” Ben said, “But what interest does the military have in the research for  _The Forgotten Planet_?”

“It’s personal interest.”

Ben smiled. It was mostly relief.

“Did you want to know something in particular or would you like a copy of the research?” Ben asked.

“You still have the research?” the Lieutenant asked.

“Yes,” Ben answered, “I keep a copy of all my research, in case I want to use it again.”

“A copy would work, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s not. Would you like to come in and wait?” Ben asked. He moved aside. The Lieutenant stepped into the home and Ben closed the door behind him. He turned and started towards his office, “To be honest with you, I’m surprised anyone has interest in this research. I would have thought others had more information than me.”

Ben crossed into his office. He heard Lieutenant Edison following behind. The man wasn’t close.

“I’ve only just begun my research,” the Lieutenant said, “This is just a starting point.”

Just as good as any, Ben thought as he opened the bottom right drawer of his desk and pulled out a PADD. It was old and had been dropped a few times. There were dings and dents showing on the back panel. It’d held up well, though, despite his clumsiness. It still turned on and the screen, though wearing, was as bright as ever.

“If you have a PADD on you, I can transfer-”

Ben’s words were stopped by pain. Jarring, sudden, alarming pain. He perceived it for a second and then it was gone, and so was the world.

Pain came back to him first. Dull, throbbing pain that thudded against his chest, his skull, with each push of his heart. Ben managed a noise next, a groan. He shifted, attempted movement, but parts of his body resisted. His arms, mostly. His shoulders wanted to, but something held his hands in place. It took a moment for him to realize they were cuffs of some kind. Metal cuffs. He opened his eyes. Nothing was familiar. Everything was in tones of gray and lit with only one beam that lined the center of the ceiling.

Ben wasn’t home.

Sometime between the searing pain and his moment, he was dragged away from his home and placed, roughly by the feel of it, in somewhere else. The nearly empty room gave him no indication as to where he was. The only other person in the room, though, was clearly responsible.

Lieutenant Edison, if that was his name, pushed himself off the wall and walked in front of him. The man knelt to meet Ben’s eyes. It was the first time Ben realized he was sitting down. He tried to inch back, but a metal beam blocked his way. A beam his wrists were bound to.

“We need to talk, Mr. Jung,” the man said. His kind voice was gone, replaced with something dark, something vile, “Your research was incomplete.” His face inched closer. “Where is Aldea?”

Ben blinked.

“I… I don’t-”

A fist rammed against his stomach. Air thrust out of his lungs. None came back in. He closed his eyes and hunched forward. A hand grasped his hair and yanked his head back. Ben urged his lungs to work. They didn’t for a moment. Then they lurched. A coughing gasp escaped his throat. Air was thrown in. It nearly choked him. But with a tremor and two harsh coughs, his lungs exhaled, inhaled, and exhaled again, over and over, until a balance was made.

Ben opened his eyes. Edison was there, frown deep, eyes narrow.

“I am a patient man, Mr. Jung,” Edison said, “There are many places in this galaxy we can go until you tell me what I want to know. One day you will tell me. And when that day comes, you will be begging for death.”

Edison let go, stood, and walked out of the room. The doors opened for him, and then shut behind him.

Ben tried to steady his breathing, but his racing mind set the pace. Aldea wasn’t a real place, Ben was certain of that, but this man, this Edison, was so convinced that the legendary planet existed that he was willing to beat him, maim him, perhaps even murder him for the answer. Clearly Edison was insane, but how far gone was he? How far would he take this pain, this torture? How terrible would the last moments of Ben’s life be?

The room swayed. No. That was his head, yes, his head. It was light. His stomach lurched in protest but bile didn’t rise. Not yet. Ben was certain that his nerves would take care of that later.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben lost track of time. There was nothing to keep track with. No clock, no sun, no guiding stars. All he knew was the cycle of violence.

Edison had visited him sixteen times thus far. Each visit brought with it hypos to keep him alive, the same question, and different pains. The first visits gave electric shocks and phaser fire. Once visit nine rolled around, however, things became more physical. Ben was treated less like an informant worth torturing and more like a punching bag. Fists and kicks were the norm. Broken bones started to emerge.

Then visit fifteen came. Ben spent most of that one screaming.

Sixteen was no different.

Ben was still sitting with his wrists bound behind him against the beam. His eyes were closed, his breaths steady, but that was forced. Completely forced. Focusing on the back of his eyelids and a steady in-and-out of air was the only thing keeping him from sobbing. His vocal cords wouldn’t make the sounds, but he didn’t want Edison to walk in and see him like that. At this rate, though, a breakdown in front of Edison was going to happen soon. And with that realization came a harsh truth.

Edison was going to kill him and death sounded inviting.

That thought crossed Ben’s mind as he took a breath in. He held it, waited, and pushed the air out, releasing the thought with it. His mind wasn’t clear, but it was as close to peace as he was going to get.

Without warning, the ship jerked. Sirens wailed. Ben’s body slammed to the left. A frail scream ripped from his throat. He hunched forward and tried to gather himself up again. Breathe. Just breathe. Yet his mind raced. New information began to roll through. He was on a ship – yes, a ship – somewhere in space. Had to be space. If they were still near Yorktown, someone would have found them by now. Ben had never been on a ship before but that jarring either meant that they were attacked or something had gone wrong with the ship. Either option was fine. Anything that kept Edison away.

The room door opened.

Ben tensed and looked up. The lights had dimmed to a deep yellow, near autumn orange. Red lights bathed the hallway. The man who stood in the door wasn’t Edison. He was shorter, thinner, but still broad and firm. A phaser was in front of him, but not pointed Ben’s way. It was pointed towards the ground. Ben’s mind screamed about deceit, about death, but his heart knew this man wouldn’t hurt him. He tried to force words, if only one, but none came. The man approached anyway.

“Captain,” the man said, “There is a man in the back hallways. He is a prisoner.”

“Beam him back to the ship, Jaylah and I can handle the rest here,” another voice answered. It was real, but digital, no doubt carried from a device Ben just couldn’t see.

The unknown man circled around him, grasped the bindings around Ben’s wrists, and pulled. His wrists came free. Ben circled his arms around but his shoulders cried in protest. Ben screamed with them. His voice didn’t carry far from his lips.

He heard the man say something and then felt his body seemingly shift. He saw none of it. By the time his eyes registered, an unfamiliar room stared back at him. Men were inside. None of them were familiar. One approached with a white device, a medical scanner, facing him. “What the hell did they do to you?” the man asked, a low whisper like a roar leaving his mouth.

Ben began to cry.


	3. Chapter 3

Ben had to be carried to the medical room. His injuries were too severe for him to walk on his own. He hadn’t gotten the chance to look around it when he first arrived. The man who pushed the medical scanner towards him pressed a hypo to his neck, which lulled him to sleep. He wasn’t even aware of that until he woke up again. He was still sore but the sharp pains he’d grown familiar with were gone.

“You feel rested?” a man asked – the same man that forced him to sleep. He was standing near the bed, but his eyes were on a digital panel above Ben’s head.

“Not really,” Ben answered. His voice was still raw, but the volume began to return. That probably had something to do with the fact that his mouth and throat felt normal. The dryness that overtook both had gathered some saliva while he rested. That, too, was medically induced, no doubt.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” the man answered as his eyes looked towards Ben, “You have any sharp pains?” Ben shook his head. “Good. Equipment’s better than I thought. Damned stuff’s out of date but does one hell of a job. You’ll have to lay here for a couple more hours, let your body normalize, but you should be back on your feet before the night’s over.”

“Is this a hospital?” Ben asked.

“No. You’d be better off at one. I tried to convince ‘em of that but-”

“We didn’t know if you were a pirate or not,” came a voice, a new one. Ben looked towards it. In the doorway stood a blond man, tall, yet thinner than the man who stood next to him. The blond smiled softly. “We didn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“I’m not a pirate,” Ben said.

“Good,” the blond said as he approached the bed, “What’s your name?”

"Ben Jung,” he said. The blond blinked.

“The author?” he asked. Ben nodded. The blond smiled softly. “I’m James T. Kirk, Captain of the _Enterprise_. This is Leonard McCoy. He works as the ship’s doctor. My crew and I came aboard your captor’s ship to get something and we happened to find you. We brought you aboard. You’re still on a pirate ship, but it’s nothing like the one you were just on. No one will hurt you here.”

Pirates. Well that explained a lot about Edison and his drive. But these men? They didn’t look the part. They were broad and tough, sure, but they didn’t look like murderers, thieves, or any other type of criminals for that matter. They were too clean, too polished, too nice.

“Why did you save me?” Ben asked.

“We were destroying the ship. We couldn’t leave you inside.”

“Did you… destroy the ship?”

“Yes, with Krall on board.”

“Krall?” Ben asked. James looked at him for a moment, then picked up a nearby PADD, pressed some buttons, and turned it for Ben to see. There, on the screen, was Edison. Instead of the frown and narrowed eyes he’d grown familiar with, a gentle smile was plastered across the man’s still face. “Oh. Yes, him.”

“You didn’t know his name?” James asked.

“He introduced himself to me as Edison. He was in a Lieutenant’s outfit. I didn’t know who he was at all.”

“What did he want with you?”

Ben hesitated. He peered up at James who looked more confused than anything. His brow was furrowed, his eyes narrowed, though not like Edison’s – Krall’s – had been. The other man, Leonard McCoy, had turned his attention to something else. Medical information, Ben hoped.

“He thought I would know where Aldea was,” Ben finally answered.

“Aldea?” James asked.

“It’s like Atlantis, but in planet form,” Leonard said. Ben looked his way. Leonard’s eyes were focused on the screen above Ben’s head. “Some people like to believe that it’s some sort of mythical planet with treasures or a fountain of youth or some other horseshit like that. Thing is, the planet disappeared. No trace of it anywhere. Hasn’t been for centuries.”

“And Krall was trying to find it?” James asked. Ben looked towards him and nodded. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Ben said. James frowned, glanced away, and then looked back towards Ben.

"I guess it doesn’t matter now,” James said, “Where are you from?”

“Yorktown.”

“Of course,” Leonard said. “The only damn place-”

“Bones,” James said. Silence. Ben peered between the two of them before James spoke again. “We’re about a week from Alpha VI. We can drop you off there and you can shuttle back to Yorktown. Will that work for you?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

James Kirk left. Leonard didn’t say anything after the captain’s departure. In the silence, Ben dozed off.


	4. Chapter 4

Ben slept off and on for two days. Leonard woke him up to eat, but Ben crawled back into bed soon after. Ben thought it was fatigue at first. Anyone would be tired after what he went through. But when he woke up alone, with only the hums of the medical equipment around him, he realized what really held him in bed – fear.

Learning Edison – Krall – was a pirate finally sank into his core, enraptured his mind, and caused his heart to shutter. Krall had somehow gotten into Yorktown, found Ben, and took him to his ship seemingly undetected. It wasn’t military men that saved him, but another group of pirates who didn’t even know he was there until they found him. It was an accident. And although these pirates seemed nice, telling them about Krall’s reasons to take him, about Aldea, might cost him even more. Sure, they said they were going to take him to Alpha VI, but they couldn’t mean it. Not if they thought Aldea really existed.

He needed to find out the truth.

Ben stood. His shaking knees almost knocked him back in bed. He wanted to crawl back under the sheets and hibernate until the vessel reached Alpha VI, but he couldn’t allow it. He eased to the door. It opened for him, as it always had.

The ship was silent. Ben moved to the lounge, where he’d gone with Leonard to eat. Each seat was empty. He could have stayed there, thought to do so, but walked down the hall, past the only familiar sights of the ship.

It wasn’t large, the _Enterprise_. It had several closed doors lining the hall opposite common rooms that opened for him when he approached. Along with the lounge, the ship offered a training room, a shooting range, several storage rooms, an engineering deck, and several more lounges that looked more like study halls than eating facilities. The doors that remained closed had to be the living quarters. There were more than ten of them, but not by much. Still, they took up the majority of the ship. That entire hall seemed to go in a large circle, which lead to a ladder. Ben climbed it with ease.

The next level only consisted of two rooms. The one Ben entered into looked similar to the engineering deck, but it was larger and consisted of several lit panels. At the back end was a grating which held what Ben guessed to be the engine. He wasn’t sure though. To the right, through a large archway, was the cockpit. At first, he didn’t know what it looked like. He was too preoccupied with the stars.

Through a dome window, beyond the counters and seats, was dots of white and yellow that spotted the sky like freckles. They moved, though, as if space itself passed by in a silent parade. He’d seen the stars before, but never past the skyline Yorktown gave. Ben stepped closer and closer, eyes wide. It was wonderful. No. More than. The construction of Yorktown, the human engineering, had nothing on the natural state of the stars.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

The unfamiliar voice jolted Ben out of his thoughts and nearly his shoes. He turned towards it and found a man sitting in the center chair, a soft smile on his face. He wasn’t familiar but he seemed just as friendly as James and Leonard had been. Ben cleared his throat and shifted.

“Y-yes… yes it is.” He paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”

“You didn’t,” the man answered, “You can stay if you want.”

Ben looked passed him to the stars. He wanted to stay. He wanted to gaze out at space and lose himself, if only for a moment. The man must have seen it, the desire in his eyes.

“I’m Hikaru Sulu,” he said. Ben looked towards him. The man stood and extended his hand. Ben stepped forward and took it. The shake, though firm, was gentle, kind. Nothing like Krall’s had been.

“Ben Jung.”

Their hands released. Hikaru motioned Ben to sit down in a nearby chair, one away from a counter. Ben sat and stared at the freckled sky. He noticed Hikaru sit down in the center chair and face him.

“Have you ever seen space from a ship?” Hikaru asked.

“No,” Ben answered. He hesitated. “I’ve never left Yorktown before.”

“We’re pretty far from Yorktown now,” Hikaru said, “It’ll take you about two weeks to get back.”

“The Captain said something about dropping me off at Alpha VI,” Ben said, looking back towards Hikaru. The man’s smile had faded but there was a softness still present in his expression.

“It’s the closest planet we can get you to without risk to us,” Hikaru said, “There’s a human colony there. They can provide you with a shuttle trip back to Yorktown. There’s a fee involved, but the Captain is going to pay it for you.”

“For a price, I assume,” Ben said.

“No,” Hikaru said. Ben furrowed his brow. Hikaru’s polite smile returned. “You’ve been through enough. We want to help you get home.”

Ben leaned back and studied the man for a moment. He seemed honest, truthful – nothing like the pirates Ben read about. They were supposed to be savaged and yet this ship, this crew, proved so far to be warm, kind, receptive. They cared. He wanted it to sit uncomfortably with him, but it didn’t. The crew seemed natural in the setting.

“Why?” Ben asked.

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Since when do pirates do the right thing?”

Hikaru’s smile grew. His teeth showed under his lips. He looked towards the stars. Ben wanted to follow his gaze but the way the starlight illuminated Hikaru’s smile was too charming to glance away from.

“We might be pirates but we have morals. We wouldn’t be alive if we didn’t.” Hikaru looked towards him again. The smile faded some – enough to cover his teeth – but he still looked approachable, kind.

Lovely.

Ben pushed the last word away as his eyes moved to the stars again. They didn’t look quite as charming anymore. He wanted to turn his eyes back to the most beautiful light in the room. He didn’t.


	5. Chapter 5

Ben spent the rest of the morning researching what he could about the crew of the _Enterprise_ on one of the computers in the lower engineering deck.

There were eight people in all. Only two of them, Spock and Jaylah, weren’t human. Spock, a Vulcan, earned his bounty by stealing a vessel from his own people in order to stop the planet’s destruction. He succeeded, but lost his freedom because of his actions. Jaylah stole. The details were unclear. Her bounty was significantly less that Spock’s, and the rest of the crew’s for that matter, but she was still wanted.

The remaining six human crew members earned their bounties in different ways. James Kirk, the valiant Captain, impersonated a military officer in order to board a federation ship and stop the attack on Vulcan. His actions earned him a higher bounty than Spock. A far higher bounty. Leonard McCoy stole numerous medical supplies from the hospital he worked at. It was unclear as to why but the listed supplies weren’t in the medical bay. Ben double-checked. Nyota Uhura stole a military shuttle, Pavel Chekov stole numerous items including alcohol and weapons, Montgomery Scott tampered with a military transporter which cost two Admirals their lives.

Then there was Hikaru Sulu.

Of everyone on the crew, Hikaru Sulu’s bounty was the highest. His first charge involved the deaths of three military men, including one Admiral. The details said that he’d stabbed them with a sword. Motive wasn’t stated.

Ben stared at the record. His eyes didn’t want to focus on the words. All he saw was the starlit smile from earlier that day. He wanted to believe in the man’s kindness, but to kill three men with a sword seemed so barbaric. What kind of person would do that? A pirate would. A pirate like Krall, anyway.

“Mr. Jung.”

This was the second time that day Ben’s heart nearly jerked out of his chest. He turned towards the doorway. The Vulcan was there, his eyes on the computer screen.

“Asking about our records would have been far less time consuming,” Spock said.

“I…” Ben started and then he paused. He glanced at the computer and then back towards the Vulcan. “Would you have lied to me if I’d asked?”

“Vulcans do not lie,” Spock said.

“But the others aren’t Vulcan.”

“They have no reason to lie.”

Ben looked back at Hikaru’s record again. He hesitated.

“Why did Hikaru Sulu kill those men?” Ben finally asked, looking to the Vulcan again. Spock made eye contact.

“Mr. Sulu was defending a colony from a military invasion.”

Ben looked at the record one last time. He wondered if Hikaru’s bounty was so high not because of the deaths, but because he stopped the invasion and he knew the truth about what happened. It would discount his story, at least to the common man. Ben wouldn’t put it past the military either.

“Thank you, Mr. Spock,” Ben said. He heard the Vulcan walk away.

The thought of Hikaru stayed with him.


	6. Chapter 6

They were one day from Alpha VI when Hikaru Sulu entered Ben’s temporary quarters with a PADD in his hands. Ben had gotten to know the man well in the past several days. His soft smile and calm voice became normal, even desirable. Under any other circumstances, Ben would have considered asking the man on a date, to dinner, something. That’s why, when Hikaru entered with a frown on his face, Ben know something was wrong. Hikaru handed over the PADD without a word.

Ben was wanted, dead or alive, for the murder of a military officer by the name of Lieutenant Balthazar Edison.

“I thought he was a pirate,” Ben said.

“He was,” Hikaru answered, “Some members of the military also work as pirates. It helps the military get answers they wouldn’t normally get.”

“Then the military wanted to know about Aldea?”

“We think so,” Hikaru said. Ben sat in one of the chairs and sighed, his eyes on his own wanted poster. “The Captain said that you’re welcome to stay with us. You’ll have to help around the ship but it’s better than trying to survive on your own.”

“There’s not much I could offer,” Ben said.

“I can teach you what you need to know.”

Ben sighed again. He could feel tears threaten the pour. He swallowed, hoping the pull them away. They didn’t leave. The text on the PADD became blurry.

“I should never have written that story,” he whispered. The tears slipped free. The PADD was eased from his hands and Hikaru took it’s place. Arms wrapped around Ben’s shoulders. Ben leaned forward, pressed his head against Hikaru’s shoulder, and sobbed.


End file.
